Araghchi: CENTCOM cannot deceive people forever

Pars Today- Iran’s Foreign Minister has reacted to the U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) withholding information about the damage inflicted on U.S. forces, writing in a message: “You cannot deceive people forever.”

According to Pars Today, citing IRIB, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi wrote in a message: “In May, the U.S. Congressional Research Service acknowledged that Iran’s armed forces had taken 42 U.S. military aircraft out of service. Now, that figure has reached 81. The actual number is far higher.”

Araghchi wrote: “The evidence? CENTCOM does not allow even a single member of Congress to visit and inspect bases that it claims are operating completely normally.”

Iran’s foreign minister stressed: “You cannot deceive people forever.”

Earlier, a report by a U.S. congressional-affiliated center said that at least 81 U.S. aircraft, helicopters and drones had been lost or damaged during attacks against Iran since the war began, over a period of about seven months, with the damage estimated at $3.3 billion.

The report, which was updated this month and published by the Congressional Research Service, a congressional research and public policy analysis center, said the number of damaged U.S. aircraft, helicopters and drones could increase as new information and updates become available.